Various procedures are used in the assembly and fixing of trusses. In one approach. the chords are laid out and connected, then the webs are positioned and stapled to the chords to maintain their position while connector plates are applied successively to each side of each joint. The plates are driven home by pressing. The need for a stapling operation at each joint adds to the assembly time, as does the positioning of the underneath plate, for example by the use of a jig or frame device, or by temporarily locating the underneath plate by means of a harnmer. The latter technique has the further disadvantage that teeth may be bent, reducing the quality of the joint.
Attempts have been made to reduce the time involved in truss manufacture by attaching the connector plates to components of the truss prior to their assembly with the other components. For example, International patent application No. PCT/FI91/00104 describes an approach in which the plates for one side of the truss are pre-attached to the webs, while the plates for the other side of the truss are pre-attached to the chords. Such a method is of limited usefulness.